Can the past predict the future?
George Friedman thinks the past can at least give us glimpses into the cycles the geopolitical world goes through. Some areas of the world tend to cycle through wars. Others fight over the waterways. Borders fluctuate back and forth. Friedman has studied history and sees patterns, which lead him to make some very interesting predictions about our future.
A friend with whom I discuss current events and politics with frequently recommended this book to me. I borrowed the e-book from the library and read through it pretty quickly. While it delves deep into past and current geopolitics to make predictions, I found the topics fascinating and learned quite a bit from reading the book.
The book is American-centric and Friedman goes back to how America emerged and how it became a world power. Controlling the oceans and have no major threats on North or South America led to the state the country is in now. Friedman then examines what threats there are globally to America and makes a general prediction for the next 100 years. Of course, there is war, but instead of starting on Earth, it will start in space. None of his predictions are far-fetched and he concedes that to create the predicted story, he had to fill in details that may not come to be, but he believes in the framework. I don’t want to give away too much of his prediction, because I would highly recommend people to read this book, but I will say there is hope – America will live on for quite a while yet. One of the most fascinating parts is to read how much changes in this world every 20 years. Think back to 1996, 1976, 1956 – where was the U.S. and the world at those times?
I don’t often read non-fiction books, but this is a well-written, deeply researched book. Yet, it explains complex topics in a way just about anyone could understand without being felt like you’re being lectured to or talked down to. I would recommend this book to any adult who is wondering what this world is coming to.